Acoustical panels are widely used for constructing enclosures that provide an acoustically-isolated environment. Such enclosures typically comprise a plurality of modular acoustical panels interconnected so as to form a back wall, two side walls, a top wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall, with a door being associated with one of the walls. The sound absorbing panels and door include a sound-absorbing material in their interiors.
Heretofore modular acoustical enclosures usually require connector elements of various shapes and complexity for locking the acoustical panels together so as to form the desired wall assembly. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,608,260, 4,038,796, 4,074,489, and 4,106,255 show prior modular systems for fabricating acoustical enclosures.
One variety of acoustical enclosure is an audiometric booth, so-called because it is used to test the hearing of individuals. One such audiometric booth is manufactured by Eckel Industries, Inc. of Cambridge, Mass. and is identified by model number AB 200. While audiometric booths usually are fabricated from pre-formed acoustical panels, the methods of construction that have been used are such that the common practice has been to preassemble the booths at the place of manufacture.
Systems of the kind disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,608,260, 4,038,796, 4,074,489, and 4,106,255 have not been deemed suitable for making audiometric booths, for a variety of reasons. The primary reason is cost. Still other reasons are that they require a relatively large number of assembly operations and/or connector elements, or else they are not designed to permit rapid and easy assembly and disassembly of the audiometric booth by the typical purchasers of such equipment. However, shipping audiometric booths to the customer in fully assembled condition is not fully satisfactory. Because audiometric booths are typically large enough to accommodate at least one person, the transportation costs associated with shipping a pre-assembled booth to the end-user tends to be quite substantial.
Another likely problem when making an audiometric booth using prior modular panel systems of the type described is that the assembled enclosure may have exposed joints or gaps at the junctions of the panels. Such exposed junctions or gaps, in addition to being visually undesirable, may compromise the acoustic integrity of the audiometric booth. For example, audiometric booths manufactured using acoustical wall assemblies as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,489 will normally have one or more exposed grooves, e.g., along one of the edges of the front ends of the side panels.
A further factor tending to inhibit use of some prior modular acoustical panel systems to make an audiometric booth is that the side wall panels are not interchangeable, and instead separate left hand and right hand panels are required in assembling the enclosures. Still another possible reason for not using one or more prior modular panel systems is that, because of design and manufacturing requirements, the determination as to whether the enclosure door is hinged on the right or left must be made at the time of manufacture rather than being a matter of choice at the time of assembly at the intended site of use.